The Beast Within
by Psyman21
Summary: (Response to Wimblegurk Brigade challenge: Beast Route) Colton has tried to live in peace despite his terrible curse. But after slaughtering a band of invading Orc's he is now thrown into service for Celestine against Olga. When the Kuroinu band threaten the peace however, Colt must now show those dogs why wolves are the superior breed, and he'll start by taking Volt's head.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey just saw this challenge and after some convincing from a friend of mine I decided to take it on and go for the Beast route, cause who doesn't like werewolves? Wish me luck in making this at least a decent story.**

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 _'Another day, another well earned bag of silver.'_ Thought one young man to himself as he walked down the well worn dirt road of the small village he resided in with a smile on his face.

Said man looked to be around his early twenties with lean yet muscular build with lightly tanned skin gained from being in the sun for such long periods of time, but if one looked closely they could see tiny faded scars along the exposed flesh. Standing at six foot three he towered over most, with his wild mane of spiky black hair that fell neatly to his shoulders along with a small goatee of the same color. His face, while quite rugged, was quite handsome in a savage or roguish kind of way, especially with the fanged grin he sported that showed of his longer than normal canines and his dark green eyes that held a sort of primal hunger in them that made people shiver if they stared for too long.

The man's attire consisted of a simple pair of brown leather boots with some sack cloth pants and an open black leather vest that showed off not only his impressive physique, but also the tribal wolf tattoo on his right pectoral. Although if one knew his secret they would realize that the latter was no simple tattoo, but actually a mark to symbolize the curse that has effected him for nearly his entire life.

This man was Colton Pelleas, or just Colt as he liked to be called, a simple man that had lived in the small village on the edge of Eostia for the past two years doing odd jobs to make a living. When one would ask about him most people would call him, dependable, kind, and even to a few of the younger women, handsome. Yet those thoughts may have changed if they had known his most closely guarded secret, and that was that Colt was a carrier of a terrible curse, a curse that on the times of a full moon drove him wild with bloodlust and forced him to take on the form of a beast against his will.

To be simple, Colt was a werewolf, half man, half beast and one of the most hated monsters in the world due to their savagery. While his kind was not as hated as the Orc's for their ways of raping women his kind were well known for slaughtering any that stepped in their line of sight no matter gender or age. So despite the accelerated healing, superhuman speed, strength and senses, and the ability to just be one with nature like any other creature of the forest, Colt despised his curse and therefore himself.

He didn't want to be like most of his kind who simply hid in the woods, killing anyone that came by for either sport or food. Nor did he want to be part of the band that had ran off and decided to join the Dark Queen Olga Discordia in her quest to conquer the continent with her monster army. No, what Colt preferred was a simple life like he was living now, free of hardship's and not having to worry about being hunted down by werewolf hunters for something that he had no control over.

Sure he could have been a guard, or soldier and with his enhanced abilities and previous fighting experiences he could have easily risen through the ranks. However, that would have driven the risk of his curse being discovered through the roof and so he was unwilling to risk it.

Looking up into the clear, cloudless skies of the small village he now calls home Colt could not help but be thankful that fate had been so kind to him up until this point. But then he smelt it, the putrid odor that he had smelt only once before but never truly could forget. The scent of Orc.

Just after the scent had reached him a loud horn cut through the air freezing everyone in the village at its call. It was the alarm horn for an impending attack. Civilian's rushed around to gather whatever belonging's or family they could before fleeing to the nearest fortress which so happened to be Lady Claudia's. Colt however was stuck where he was cursing himself for possibly jinxing his peaceful life in the small village, now if he fled with the others there was an even higher chance of him being discovered for what he was along with being executed on the spot.

So instead of following the other villager's towards the safety of the Shield Princess and her fort Colt decided to make a run for the nearby woods where he would go every month on the full moon so his beast blood could be released without fear of him harming any of the populace.

As he quickly and gracefully ran through the village with all the skill of a born predator Colt was soon stopped by a horrible but also invigorating sight. Strewn before him was a battle between the few village guards and the Orc band that had come to raid it, and more than likely defile its women.

Bodies of both man and monster lay thrown throughout the field as both sides clashed weapons. The guards were holding their own for now but they would soon break under the Orc's numbers and overwhelming strength. These issues however, didn't concern the lycanthrope as he was too busy trying, and failing, to keep his primal instincts in check. His bestial side roared out for him to join the carnage and feast on the bounty laid before him in fresh blood and victims that he had long since denied ever since coming to live in the village.

The call was almost deafening to the point that the battle was completely muted out in favor of his own rapid heartbeat and adrenaline fueled veins crying for sweet release. Just as he was about to snap though and go on a full blown rampage, Colt reeled in his instincts and used a trick taught to him by another cursed one like himself who had learned to control his primal urges over his many years of possessing it.

 _'The beast itself is mindless, nothing but instinct and drive with no direction or reason. Give it reason and drive it towards your goals. The stronger they are the more control you have and the deadlier you are.'_ Colt repeated the old lycanthrope's words inside his mind as he did just that.

He grasped on to the primal instincts swirling within him, but he did not shut them away, oh no, instead he focused them on a specific target. That target was the Orc's, the same ones who had now ruined his peaceful life and was forcing him to reveal his shameful secret in order to not only survive, but also to save the human guards whom he had becomes friends with a few, though after today that may change rather quickly.

With a deafening roar from his maw Colt charged at the nearest Orc, who like the others had been startled by the primal roar that struck fear into the hearts of both men and monster alike. The giant beast had just enough time to widen his eyes before Colt lashed out with one of his new clawed hands and ripped the monsters throat out.

The Orc stood in shock for a moment before finally falling to the ground dead with it's blood staining the ground, it's giant axe falling beside it.

As the two opposing sides stared at the man in shock, and quite a bit of fear, one of the guards decided to speak up, albeit a bit hesitantly.

"C-colt? Wh-what-" he began before slamming his mouth shut when Colt looked him in the eyes. Those eyes that were once so kind now blazed with a primal fury that could bring a dragon to piss itself in terror.

"Go. Get the villager's out of here and leave the prey to me." Said Colt with a deep growl in his throat that made the men gulp nervously.

"B-but what about yo-" Started another guard before being silenced by Colt's angry roar.

 **"LEAVE BEFORE I KILL YOU AS WELL!"** Roared Colt.

Without another word the guard's fled, leaving the kind man they once knew turned primal monster to face the Orc raiding party alone. Seeing that they had left Colt turned and faced the shaking band of Orc's that had ruined not only his day, but also his entire life in this village.

"Now I hunt." was all Colt said before rushing the Orc's on all fours just like the beast driven monster he was.

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Everything was a blur for Colt. Seconds, minutes, hours, it didn't matter as no matter how much time passed Colt only knew how to spill the blood and rend the flesh of his prey. With just claws and teeth alone the werewolf ripped through the Orc's ranks, sending blood and limbs flying through the air, some cut off with his claws while others were ripped from their owners with his savage strength.

The Orc's, after getting over their initial shock, had tried to fight back against the monster that turned on them but with no avail. Every wound they made healed almost instantly and was rewarded with a missing limb or two. They then tried to flee in fear, but Colt's speed easily caught up to them and the slaughter began once again.

Colt relished in the carnage. After so many moons of repressing the beast he had kept dormant inside, the chance to finally let loose was nothing but euphoric. He savored every drop of blood that coated his claws, relished every painful or dying scream from each new victim, and he absolutely enjoyed every look of terror he saw in each victims eyes right before he made the light leave their eyes.

Yet just as soon as it had begun, it was over and Colt now found himself breathing heavily in the middle of a proverbial slaughter, completely drenched in Orc blood. All around him lay the mangled corpses and severed limbs of the Orc raiding party that had come to the village. Not one of them had been left alive as Colt's instinct induced slaughter had made sure of that.

If he had to be honest with himself, Colt was surprised he could do this much damage in his human form. It only made him wonder how much carnage he could actually cause if he had gone full beast form. For despite the myth's werewolves didn't only have to change at night, they only mostly changed at night to avoid being caught by hunters and that they only changed on every full moon due to the fact that that was when their instinct's were at their strongest and were impossible to keep at bay.

As he stared at his blood soaked claws Colt could only think of where he would go now after knowing that the guards would no doubt tell about his little... moment. He would no doubt be hunted down now by werewolf hunters until he killed all of them or they managed to kill him, and neither option was very pleasant.

Just then he picked up the sound of horses and clanking armor as well as the smell of armor and sword polish, along with the smell of some type of high end perfume. Turning slowly Colt caught the steely gaze of one of the Seven Shield Princesses staring at him with cold indifference.

The scantily designed armor did nothing to dissuade from her intimidating position atop her mount as Claudia Leventine stared down at the werewolf with a small army of guards behind her. Colt could not move as fear held him still, the reinforcements had arrived quicker than he had anticipated, or maybe his slughter had been longer then he had realized.

Claudia for her part surveyed the carnage before her with a calculative gaze before setting her sight on the one responsible. The young man drenched in Orc blood stood their with his pant's in tatters and shirtless as his vest had been lost amidst the battle showing his mark which made her narrow her eyes even more.

Now if she were anyone else she would have ordered the man killed already for being a monster, however, after getting the story from the village guards about this man telling them to run while he fought off the Orc band it made her curious about his intentions. What possible reason would he have to risk his life for humans who would kill him without a second thought upon learning what he was.

Claudia could admit that she wasn't skilled in the way's of reading some people at such a deep level like the one she served. Which was the only reason why Colt wasn't dead at the moment. No, instead she had someone that would no doubt like to meet him and if he proved to be as pure as his actions had suggested thus far then he would live, if not then she would just finish him then and there.

"You will come with me." Commanded Claudia, making Colt flinch but narrow his eyes in curiosity on why she hadn't killed him already.

"To where may I ask Lady Claudia?" He asked respectively.

"To be judged by the supreme authority of the land. The Goddess will be your judge, jury, and should she decide it, executioner." was all Claudia said as she turned to ride away while some of her soldiers came to escort Colt behind her.

 _'And it was such a nice day to.'_ Thought Colt to himself sadly as he looked up at the clear blue sky of the village he called home. He had a feeling he wouldn't be seeing it for a very long time, if ever again.

 **Well how was the prologue chapter for ya? Review and/or PM me!**


	2. Chapter 2

Walking through the main fortress of the Shield Princess Claudia, Colt couldn't help but admire the grandness of it all. The high white arches and marble floors that were tended to by maids even now made him feel very small and very unwelcome.

He was just as much a beast as he was a man, but even so he felt very out of place in such a place of high status. A monster like him shouldn't have even been allowed to gaze at the fortress let alone walk through it. His guide was none other then Claudia herself along with two of her soldiers who looked like they were waiting for a reason to skewer him.

Thankfully he had been allowed to change and wash up. Clean from the blood Colt now wore a simple black tunic tucked into a pair of brown leather pants and finally a black pair of military boots. He had no idea where his captor/guide was taking him but he was beginning to get very anxious as he had tried asking her before but she had refused to say anything more than she had already told him.

So without another choice Colt was forced to follow one of Celestine's personal friends and guards to who knows where. Eventually though they were brought to a small courtyard where in the center was a raised dais about twenty feet in diameter.

Without a word Claudia stepped into the center of the dais and motioned Colt to follow her. Apparently he was too slow as a soldier behind him roughly shoved him forward with the back of his spear. Colt quickly growled at the offender who made a move to try and strike him before a sharp glare from Claudia stopped him with reluctance.

The cursed man couldn't help but toss him a smug grin before stepping up beside Claudia. It was then the dais began to shin with holy light and Colt instantly recognized it as teleportation magic. Before he could say anything to this him and Claudia vanished only to reappear on a similar platform but while it looked no different then the one they were just present at Colt could literally _smell_ the change in the air.

All of the new and unfamiliar scents hit him hard but he was given no time to adjust as Claudia gripped his arm and started to practically drag him to wherever it was they were going. Many corners and hallway's were passed in their journey before Claudia finally stopped just in front of an ornate set of golden doors. The Shield Princess then turned to face her charge with a deadly serious look in her eyes that made Colt involuntarily gulp.

"I warn you now, show respect to those who reside beyond this door as they will be the ones to decide your fate. Your only hope of survival is to prove your intentions are pure, or just prove that you really deserve to die like the rest of your kind." She said coldly and Colt felt anger swirl within him at the way she threw him in with the rest of the beast men that terrorized the land.

Before he could voice his displeasure however, the door's were opened by Claudia and he was forced to quickly follow her inside where he nearly froze in shock at who was waiting for him on the other side. In front of Colt sat every member of the Seven Shield's Alliance including the founder of the alliance herself Celestine, the high elf goddess reincarnated.

Though that was when he noticed all of the looks being sent his way by those assembled. While Celestine and Claudia looked at him with neutral expressions, the same couldn't be said for the others as their looks ranged from anger to disgust with the only real deviation being from Princess Prim who looked at him with uncertainty.

"So this is the one whom you spoke of Claudia, the beast kin who saved the village in your territory?" Asked Celestine as she never took her eyes from his own while Colt was forced to hold her gaze by some primal need to not show weakness.

"Correct my Lady. By the time me and my troops had arrived all of the Orc band that had invaded the village had been slaughtered with him in the center covered from head to toe in blood." Stated Claudia professionally as Celestine mulled over her next words.

"What is your name?" She asked and Colt immediately answered.

"Colton Pelleas your majesty, but I prefer Colt." He stated, his voice firm even though he was worried on the inside of the outcome of this meeting. He had no doubt he could escape the room and maybe even the castle, but going through the entire surrounding settlement without being noticed would be next to impossible. He could only hope the meeting turned out well.

"Pleasure to meet you Colt. Now would you mind telling me why you decided to save the small village you had been dwelling in for some time? It is very unusual for one of your kind to live amongst human's, and even rarer to defend them." Asked the High Elf in curiosity. Yet Just as Colt was about to answer someone else spoke up, that someone being Maia, the Queen of Mercenaries.

"He probably just smelled the blood and wanted a piece of the action. If mutts like him aren't raping a woman then they are just slaughtering by the dozens." She stated with a wave of her hand as if Colt's opinion never mattered. Though when the accused made to defend himself he was cut off by the Shield Princess Alicia.

"I have to agree with the mercenary on this one. Dog's like him deserve to be put down, the mere fact that we are giving him a chance to speak is already more then he deserves." She stated while staring with nothing but contempt at Colt.

And so it went back and forth with each Princess tossing their own thoughts about why Colt did what he did with the reasons getting progressively worse. Celestine, Prim and Claudia had tired to restore order to little success. All the while Colt just stood there with his hair shadowing his eyes while his fist were clenched so bad he had made cuts in his own palm that let blood slowly drip onto the polished white floor.

Eventually a final comment is all it took for Colt to finally snap, and it came from the Halfling Ruu-Ruu.

"Maybe the dog has a death wish and just wanted to go out in a blaze of false glory? If that's the case why don't we just finish the job and end him now?" She said innocently but with a hint of satisfaction at the thought of ending the lycanthropes life.

*SMASH*

The sound of breaking stone had drawn all of the Princesses attention to the subject of the meeting and in all honesty they were quite scared at what they saw. For there stood Colt with his fist embedded into the stone table with the cracks spread quite far. This show of strength wasn't the cause of their fear though, no the real cause was the look on the cursed man's face that could only be described as primal rage.

Colt's Eye's were now glowing bright red in anger as his elongated canines were displayed in a savage snarl. The man looked quite ready to kill and all of them had no doubt that he could do the deed with little effort. Their fear was quickly washed away by confusion however when he spoke as his voice was one of cold fury.

"You think you know me don't you? You've seen one beast-man you've seen them all right? Well your wrong. I didn't save that village out of some selfish gain, but rather I saved it because it was my home! Two years I had done everything to live a peaceful life in that town wanting nothing more then to enjoy said peace for as long as possible. Now here you sit on your high horses acting like you know me!? If this is the policy of the Seven Shield's Alliance then I wonder why I even bothered trying to live amongst your kind at all." He finished and it took a moment before the Shrine Maiden Kaguya started to speak in a measured tone of voice.

"And what do you mean by that Colt-san? It seems that you have lived quite the harsh life if you have wanted peace so much as to try and seek it out amongst your enemies."

"Oh you think? Do you know that because of your stance on monsters that I have been hunted everyday of my life since I was five years old? And it's not just me but every beast kin that dwells in these lands! You think any of us asked to be like this, to be cursed with turning into a monster every full moon and hunt just like the animals we represent? It was only for those two years in that village that I actually knew what peace actually was. There were no hunters to worry about and I took every precaution necessary so that when my transformations came around there would be no casualties." He declared coldly while still trying to reign in his temper.

"I-I had no idea." Muttered Celestine just loud enough to hear.

"Didn't know or didn't care. My species is the way it is now thanks to your decisions and your hate for anything even relating to the term monster. Yet even so I would rather make peace with you than seek your slaughter or defilement because that is the only way I can live without the threat of a knife finding its way into my back. So now that you've heard my reasoning what will you decide to do with my fate? Will you cut me down like the rabid dog the rest of my kind are or what?" He finally finishes while leaving the members of the Seven Shield Alliance in shocked silence. None of them could believe what they had heard but the truth in his eyes spoke volumes to them, but to Celestine it just made here decision much easier.

Standing from her seat she moved to stand before Colt and looked up into his eyes as his great height towered over her. For a moment the two simply stared, sizing the other up. Then in a surprising move, Celestine actually _smiled_ at the lycanthrope, but not in a malicious or sadistic way as he had seen with the hunters he had encountered. No, this smile was full of hope and maybe a bit of sadness. And when she spoke her words were soothing and seemed to settle his primal rage down till it was next to none existent.

" I know you have suffered much Colt, and that I as well as my peers are responsible for it. I cannot offer you peace, but what I can offer you is the chance to create the peace you wish for, but only if you will accept it." She said and for a moment Colt was in a state of disbelief. He had heard how kind the Goddess was but to experience it for himself was something else entirely, even so her offer seemed too good to be true.

"What must I do to attain it?" He asked with a small bit of skepticism while the others leaned in close wondering what their founder and leader was up to and what offer she was suggesting.

"I want you to become a part of the Seven Shield's Alliance. Yet even if you do not accept you will be allowed to leave and start your life elsewhere without your condition ever being made known outside these walls. The choice is entirely up to you." She said seriously.

The room was so quite the buzzing of a mosquito's wings would have been as loud as a hurricane. Then all at once the silence was broken as numerous shout's of protest ran about from the various member's of the Alliance. None more so than from Alicia and Maia as they were spouting things that would make a sailor blush and a merc spit up his beer at the quite colorful vocabulary they were using. Coming from Maia this was expected but coming from one of nobility like Alicia was quite the surprise.

"Enough."

That one word spoken by Celestine was enough to silence the whole room, not because of the tone or volume of it but rather the sheer power behind the word. It was times like these that one remembered that she was the reincarnation of a goddess and had the power to back it up.

Seeing that her peers had been silenced, if only for the moment, the High Elf turned and looked back at the still stunned lycanthrope to wait for his answer.

Colt however, was in a bit of a bind. He was looking at both sides of the coin here and each one had its up's and downs. For if he didn't join nothing would really change and he would start over probably in a new village. Yet that also got him thinking on what would happen if another raid took place. He had heard the stories, and witnessed a few, of the times when an monster raid was successful. The rape and defilement of countless women as their husbands, brothers, and sons were butchered before their very eyes. In all reality his village was given a miracle to get away with only minor casualties.

Yet, even if he joined he would face scrutiny and constant harassment from his peers just for being what he is. But if he did accept Celestine's offer he could earn that trust and pave the way not only for himself, but for all other beast kin who wanted to live in peace just like himself. This was an offer he couldn't afford t let go.

So looking down into those beautiful green eyes of the High Elf he gave her a true smile, that made her cheeks redden a little if she was honest, before going to one knee with his head bowed low not in submission, but in respect.

"I gladly accept your offer my Lady."

Celestine's smile could have put the sun to shame as she summoned forth an ornate blade and commenced the knighting ceremony right then and there in the presence of her closest confidents.

"I Knight thee, Sir Colton. Now stand and accept your new title with pride." She said happily as Colt did just that and the sheer joy coming from him was enough to eclipse Celestine's own. Not even the rather sour looks from a few of the other Shield's could dampen their moods.

"So what is to be my first assignment my Lady." Asks Colt as he was more than eager to begin. The sooner he got started the sooner he could prove himself to the others and earn their trust. The serious look Celestine now sported quickly got rid of his own smile as he gazed back in the same way.

"This may be a bit soon but I think you are the only one here capable of pulling this off with as little bloodshed as possible ironically enough. I want you to Capture Olga Discordia and bring her to me alive to stand trial for all the crimes she has committed in this war." Said Celestine.

Right then and there Colt regretted his eagerness and was cursing himself to a thousand hells.

 _'Well at least I'll get to see what this Dark Elf Queen looks like. Though her beauty is said to rival Celestine's I can't help but want to find out for myself. Let's just hope I can keep my primal nature down before I do something I regret.'_ Thought Colt to himself as he quickly accepted the mission and the meeting continued on with Colt's thoughts still straining on how exactly he was gonna accomplish his mission. If this was the mission for new recruits he hated to see the mission given to the more elite members.

 **Well there's the next chapter guys. Hope you enjoy it and review and/or pm me!**


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